The invention relates to a bending press, in the form of a press brake.
These days, a large number of bending presses, in particular press brakes, are used to produce bent parts, primarily using bending processes involving free bending, embossing or three-point bending. To enable the often very strong bending forces which need to be applied with-out causing unacceptable deformation of the bending machine, such machines have very solid press beams and press tables, thereby ensuring a high bending accuracy even when working with larger workpieces and bigger sheet thicknesses. To this end, the bottom press beam or press table is usually designed as a continuous solid plate with as high a bending resistance as possible. There are other designs where the bottom press beam or press table has recesses or slots which permit a deformation corresponding to a bending deformation of a top press beam. What all of these designs have in common is that these bending machines or press brakes are designed to be operated from a standing position, whereas the design of the bottom press beam or press table makes operation from a seat position more difficult because there is not enough room for the legs and feet of a user. When operating such a machine from a seated position, physical positions are therefore assumed in which the upper body is inclined far forwards or turned to the side because the legs are turned very far sideways approximately parallel with the front face of the bending press. However, such physical positions are very tiring for the user of the bending press, which means that production efficiency can drop or it is necessary to take breaks more often, thereby reducing the productivity of such a bending press.